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Biography
Cho Myung-rae (Korean: 조명래; Hanja: 趙明來; born 22 March 1955) is a South Korean professor of urban planning at Dankook University previously served as the Ministry of Environment under President Moon Jae-in from 2018 to 2021.
Before appointed as the Minister, he was the president of the government-funded research institute, Korea Environment Institute, and the association of heads of the environmental research organisations.
He was previously the co-president of an environment NGO, Environmental Justice (환경정의), from 2011 to 2017 and chair of Seoul's Sustainable Development Committee from 2013 to 2015.
Cho holds four degrees - a bachelor in regional development from Dankook University, a master's in environmental planning from Seoul National University and a master's and a doctorate in urban and regional studies from University of Sussex.